Oh my July!

So I have had some pretty big months in the past but as of 6:00 pm eastern day light time on July 31st Fencing Frog has hit 8,000 visitors in a single month! Blowing away all previous "high scores"

I  can only say Thank You to everyone who visits and to all those who have promoted my blog.

Frostgrave (1)

Last night I got a chance to try Frostgrave.  This game has been quite anticipated at the New Hampshire club and I had a few war bands ready to go.  As it worked out we had some last minute cancellations and other were busy with play tests so turn out was lighter than I had expected.   My friend Dave's son DJ was eager to play and picked the Witch and her war band. So I took the enchanter war band.  This obviously isn't a city map so lets assume its an old monastery just outside Frostgrave. 

I set up War band in two clusters one around my Wizard...

and the other around my apprentice (the black template is a cave FYI) my 10th soldier, my archer was in between to cover either group.

DJ's witch makes her way along the rocky path

Armored Skeletons lurch from the ruins! On Rushes DJs soldiers

Another comes at my Man-at-Arms and my infantry man. They land a hit but cannot penetrate his armor.

My Wizard (who had cast strength on himself earlier) come into the fray but the dice are not kind and I take 9 points of damage as the skeleton's sword strikes home.  My apprentice (who also cast strength)  has better luck with the skeleton in the cave.

DJ's Witch makes it to some treasure! and get shot at by my archer but I miss!  I like that you can shoot and them move or move an then shoot as it lets my archer duck out of line of sight.

One of my Thugs joins the fight and we at last over come the Skeleton!

One of my Thieve has made it to another treasure maker. 

As has one of DJ's thieves

But his soldiers are running away form the skeleton... quite reasonable but

His Apprentices is the one getting chased (and shot at by my archer)

The Apprentice scrambles up the rocky hill

DJ finally remember the archer he hid in the woods but misses a shot at my Thug.

Running home with treasure.

A Thug goes down to the skeleton!

My Archer takes aim at DJ's Man-at-Arms and hits him but its only a wound(though a serious one)

The Skeliton goes down while DJ's thief and Infantry start climbing the walls of the old monastery .

My troops enter the ruins and are attacked by a Mimi(minor construct) DJ painted this fellow and he came out quite well.

DJ's Archer fires and misses again!

Then runs.

My Wizard cast the Leap spell on his Infantry man follower and he jumps from the floor to the upper level...

and fells the last skeleton with a single blow.

Locked in battle with the Mimic (ever tried to break a chest with a sword and spear? its not easy)

DJ's men make it to the roof...

and my Infantryman goes down!  Next turn my men take down the Mimic...

and my archer takes careful aim at DJ's apprentice...

and the apprentice goes down hard.

My Wizard uses Destructive Sphere to take out two of DJs Thugs but one of my own goes down as well (omelets and eggs)

Mean while We take down DJ's last soldier in the ruins claiming the final treasure token.  DJ actually Played a good game once he got used to using his Wizard and Apprentice as leaders not just heroes, its an understandable adjustment... we think of Arthur leading not Merlin right?  DJ got 3 treasure tokens and I got three Treasure tokens. DJ got 180 XP while I got 260 XP (my wizard cast more spells and got two kills).  DJ has a spell that if it works would give him 50 XP so we could start the next game with a new level.  (we probably won't use these wizards and these war bands again).

I enjoyed the game its elegantly simple in its statistics but game play is surprisingly complex.   Two thoughts we need more terrain and I need more guys to use as Thief type characters.

Miniature Throwback Thursday (1) Tomb King

A lot of people like to hid their old work I am going to showcase it.   I don't know how regular this feature will be but why not

This is a Games Workshop Tomb Kings figure Prince something or other from my early 2000s flirtation with a Tomb Kings army... this is about all that cam of it!

I went for really dirty, and I think I probably over did it. If I were doing it to day I would use a lighter hand on the dry brushing.

I am very pleased with the shield its a great looking design and I I think I painted it well.

He does mix fairly well with the new Bones Mummies so he may finally get some use.

Bones Stalagmites and Fungus

Some more Bones items this is part of the dungeon decor set I got with Bones II.  I think the formation in the center looks more like a big fungus growth than Stalagmites and I have done them up as such.

Once I get a base for them they should make a nice "cave" for Frostgrave or other games. I wish Reaper did more stuff like this. I jumped on as much of it as I could for Bones III.

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Bones Mummies

I got these guys to use as part of a Gods and Mortals army but I think they will get some use in a Frostgrave war band.

We have three Mummy warriors and one Mummy wizard or high priest.

Like all the bones miniatures they have great detail and are easy to paint up.

This fellow has a name I am calling him Khaemwaset one of the sons of Ramses II who was a high priest of Ptah and is some times called the first Egyptologist  as he oversaw a number restoration project during his father's reign

In latter Egyptian legend he was referred to as a wise magician renowned for the lore and artifacts he uncovered. The most notable was the Book of Thoth.  I see no reason why a mummy with the gift of undead immortality couldn't lead his own expedition to Frost Grave so he will be my non-traditional wizard for a war band

Not sure what I think of this scarab back pack (or what ever it is) but it does make an impression.

The three warrior mummies will also be part of the war band I will probably just call them soldiers not undead. 

Save Sister Sara Play test III

Saturday I got together with Adrian and Jon of Wargame Recon to play test my scenario for the Hobby Bunker Game Day(8/29). We were joined by Steve of Boston Trained band.  Jon and Steve took the US fleet while Adrian took three of the Japanese Cruisers and all the Japanese destroyers. I had the Haruna and Kirishima and one Japanese heavy cruiser.

The USN started the game with a BANG! the Washington took the Chokai under fire and scored several devastating critical resulting in heavy flooding and a sever list.

Adrian tried to get the flooding under control but rolled a second severe list and the ship rolled over and sank with all hands.... the USN was jubilant  the IJN players were slightly stunned.

Still the IJN bore in with all the dedication one would expect from samuri and.. 

Got a little of their own back as the lead US Destroy was sunk by shells from a Japanese Cruiser.

US and Japanese Destroyers approach each other screaming the major elements of their fleets

The Japanese lose another ship a destroyer this time as large caliber shells land home

Haruna takes Washington under fire landing minor damage.

The Mikuma is closing the US Cruisrs who are protecting Saratoga

Japanese fire splashes around the US fleet

another US destroyer is destroyed as secondary fire from Kirishima sets ready ammunition ablaze.

The USS Quincy takes have fire and take a have hit to the bridge.

US and Japanese destroyers close to extreme close range and die in a mutual immolation with guns and torpedoes.  The close action is in the best tradition of both sides.  The Haruna takes savage and devistating damage from Washington.  She is a ablaze and is suffering form flooding and a list but

still fighting and she land heavy hits of her own on Lexington. The Quincy and Chester both sink under Japanese guns but the  the Washington has only minor damage.   The Furutaka and Mikuma launch long range torpedo shots at Saratoga and Adrian commanding the Furutaka lands a hit that penetrates her torpedo belt.  He rolls a 20 on the torpedo critical table and the Saratoga is lifted out of the water as a massive internal explosion occurs when one of her magazines is hit.   The Washington probably gets a good deal of revenge the Haruna is certainly sunk in the after math and its probable at least one other Japaneses ship goes down as well but the goal of the mission is to sink the Saratoga and we proved it was possible (the damage she had take made it probably that the Japanese could have done it even if they didn't get the lucky torpedo hit.) Thanks to Hobby bunker for letting us use this outstanding talble